This is the end of one journey but the beginning of another. My time here at the farm has felt brief but as I consider my final reflections the experience seems profound.

The nature of Pepperfield effortlessly introduced me to a new collection of connections. As a result, I met local producers, food and hospitality providers, community leaders and countless others. Each one, touching on my journey and – knowingly or unknowingly – leaving a lasting impression; each new connection fostering the growth and development that I sought for so long. Decorah was, and still is, a receptive, welcoming community that took me into the fold without hesitation. This last 32 weeks threw me into the active social scene in Decorah. I attended more parties and social gatherings than ever before. Likewise, the people of Decorah have created something special: a progressive, loving community aware of each other and their surroundings. Similarly, it was this same community that acted as the conduit for so many unique culinary adventures. But it wasn’t just food centered experiences that occupied my time.

During my time here I encountered work (and play) so fantastic that it’s hard to recall all of it. But I do remember how fast it all started. Within months of arriving I had already secured a few jobs around town. And soon after, even more. I saw the whole gamut from weddings to parties – and trust me everything possible in between. Meanwhile at the farm, I was busy working away. Nearly 150 varieties were represented in our grow out this year and I had a hand in each one. Farming isn’t an easy job and by the end of this season I had amassed some pretty impressive figures. In a two acre garden I managed to haul over 8300 pounds of manure, transplant 2577 times, plant over 4139 seeds and mulch 2863 square feet of ground. This was exclusively the work I completed; these values would be much higher if tallied for the entire farm. My point is, I was quite busy. Simultaneously, I was still able to enjoy the nature around me. I took on foreign tasks like foraging for mushrooms, slaughtering a chicken and eviscerating animals to be used for eating. The combination of experiences were truly rewarding as a person but also as a chef. (I can’t nearly cover everything from this season, but you can check out the happenings of all 32 weeks here!) Moving forward I will cherish these experiences but also everything that I learned in the process.

At its roots, coming to Pepperfield was always about learning. From the beginning, my purpose was to learn how to grow food from the ground up. Likewise, I hoped to take some time to myself and readjust my mindset. As I look back at what I learned at Pepperfield, it’s hard to imagine that I managed to learn all that I did. Each day brought lectures from botany to esoteric philosophies challenging me on all fronts to observe, learn and retain. As a result I made one of the most profound discoveries of my life: food is a means of connection. Not only does it unify us as people, but it brings us closer – physically, mentally and spiritually – in one way or another, no matter how abstract. And, as I explored these possibilities of food, I began to feel awake, alive and almost transcended.

What started as a quest to slow down evolved into something even greater; changes to my body, mind and spirit, began to materialize. Then, I began to achieve a more relaxed lifestyle. The tension, built from so many years of pain, anger and frustration began to melt into a serenity within that I can only describe as internal compassion. I became aware of my choices and their consequences; I found peace with my mistakes and shortcomings. Similarly, I began the process of forgiveness with myself and began to reach out to share this with others in my life. I felt an immense amount of liberation as I began to identify the origins of my problems and charted a new course to resolve them. I may be leaving Pepperfield, but I hope to continue feeling as creative, relaxed and motivated as I had previously.

Don’t forget, we’re on the road for the next week touring various BBQ shops across the nation. More info on that tomorrow from the road. Stay posted, stay hungry (but not for to long)!

It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it… and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied… and it is all one.M.F.K. Fisher, The Art of Eating

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If you missed out on our recent update about some of our future developments, we encourage you to check it out here. As I began to realize that this was my penultimate week at the farm, the whole experience I shared with the people and nature seems almost surreal.

Monday started with an early trip to the hospital garden. I worked on cleaning up some of the beds while David harvested kale. When we returned we took a quick break for lunch and then I worked on making some squash fettuccine. It was nearly three pounds of pasta and took me the rest of the evening. David and I worked on leftovers for dinner before calling it a night. The next day I made a tomato sauce. As it simmered away on the wood stove, I worked down in the garden pulling gourd vines off the fence. Afterwards, I transitioned to the main squash patch and worked on pulling vines off the fences. Then I switched to cutting down the old Jerusalem artichokes. I took a quick intermission for lunch and then headed to town for my shift at work. Things were dismally slow.

Wednesday morning I continued down in the squash patch. I finished the last of the fence cleaning and then moved onto raking up the debris and weeds leftover from the growing season. This ate up the rest of my morning. I took a quick break for lunch before getting ready for town and my final shift at the job. Unfortunately it wasn’t very memorable as we closed nearly an hour early after only serving 15 tables in six hours. The next day I finished the clean up in the squash patch. Then David and I went to the hospital so I could have a meeting with the nutrition director about an upcoming knife skills class. It went pretty swiftly so I went out to the garden to help David tidy up a few things before we left to go back to the farm. David and I finished the last round of leftovers and finished our day with a session in the sauna.

Friday was pretty laid-back. I went to town midday to bring my car to the shop. Meanwhile, I presented a 45 minute lecture and demonstration for the Winneshiek Medical Center kitchen team about knife skills. Afterwards, I made use of my time at the hospital to work on cleaning up a few more beds. I got back to the farm sometime in the early evening and decided to go to town to get some food. I made a quick stop at the Armory and grabbed some tacos before heading back for an early night of sleep. The next day I started my morning by stacking the final load of wood in to the wood shed. Shortly after, I ran over to the neighbors with David to pick up some chairs they had borrowed. David went to town for the evening and I stayed behind at the farm. I did some work on a few projects before calling it another early night.

Sunday morning started late. Mid-morning I made lamb braise and let it simmer away on the wood stove. I spent time reading and relaxing while it bubbled. Later in the afternoon David and I went to concert feature macabre music. After we went to Carina’s to catch up and have a glass of wine. As our conversations streched into the evening, we were invited to stay for dinner. Carina put together a great meal of roasted chicken, sweet and sour cabbage and roasted vegetables. This meal and time with both Carina and Micah was refreshing and fun. It was a great ending for the week.

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Some people love fall; I do not. The changes of the seasons might bring cheer to some but for me it’s rather undesirable.

Monday I put on my lumberjack gear to continue cutting wood. As I worked away stacking and hauling wood for next year I began to reflect. Observing my surroundings, I found it hard to see the beauty in fall, the changing leaves or bare trees. Everything around me was dead or getting ready for winter. No more lush trees, no more bountiful gardens, just dead plants and leaves everywhere. Maybe I’m just the odd one out, missing the beauty of the nature around me. I believe I’m just not fascinated by the transition of nature into dormancy. We worked until lunch on firewood and then took a break. Afterwards, we continued working for a few hours. When we finished, David and I got changed and went out to see the final performance of The Clean House, presented by the Commonweal in Lanesboro.

The next day David and I picked up where we had left off. As we hacked away at the wood pile my mind began to wander. Not only has this fall season been nature’s physical transition for the next season, it also has been a great time of reflection for me. Even more so than spring and summer, I have been able to spend time reflecting on thoughts and ideas as I do – almost – mundane tasks around Pepperfield. I understand they need to get done as part of the fall operations of the farm, but I came here to learn about food growth and processing, not Firewood Acquisition 101. (I guess the sentiment I’m trying to express is disappointment or frustration.) Not only has fall been the time for clean-up and changes, it also has acted as my jarring snap back to the reality of my life and the choices I make. Unlike the plants, I’m just getting started. Woodcutting took up most of our morning and afternoon. After a quick lunch break, I left the house for a busy night of work.

Wednesday – that’s right, you guessed it – brought more woodcutting. As I stacked, I began to think back to the beginning of my journey. I have made so much personal growth and have this urge to continue. Pepperfield has acted as a great catalyst for these changes. Meanwhile it has provided an equally fantastic conduit for this growth. But now, as my goals have shifted, so have my needs. At the end of the day, I don’t mind cutting firewood or working on garden clean-up. But I’m struggling to meet my goals and objectives as I sacrifice my time and energy here. I am excited and anxious to get a jump on some of my upcoming projects. Unfortunately, limited internet and cell service, busy days and early nights, among other things, make this nearly impossible at the farm.

Thursday was the last day of woodcutting. Thankfully David and I had developed a decent rhythm so we only spent our morning on this project. Things slowed down for the day and I did some computer work until I left for town. The night at work was insane. The next day I started my morning with clean-up around the house. I threw a pot of goat stew on the stove to reduce while I puttered around. Meanwhile, I finished the house chores by sweeping the floors and cleaning the stove top. I left for work a few hours later for another busy night in town.

Saturday started to look a little more exciting. After breakfast, I set my whetstone to soak for sharpening. Then, I made a lemon poppy seed cake to use up some extra products we had around the house. As it cooked and filled the house with a great lemon aroma, I worked on sharpening the kitchen knives. I had forgotten how relaxing it was to just sharpen knives. I made my transition to work mode as the afternoon progressed. Then, I left for town to work with Ruth and Trout River Catering. Ruth was catering a Luther College reunion and wanted me to help plate. After a solid shift, I grabbed a beer and then called it a night.

Sunday I slept in until 10. Afterwards, I got up and started my day. David didn’t have anything pressing so I got to spend my morning working on some personal projects. It was during this time that I really began to think about plans for Pans & Perspective. I’m sure you’ve noticed (don’t think I haven’t) that the frequency of posts has begun to decline. I don’t like to make excuses but I feel over-committed at this point. Between my work here and in town, I have found increasing less time to work on creating quality content. This is not permanent. My time at Pepperfield is nearly complete; I’ll be bringing you an explosion of new content once I get settled back in Florida.

Thank you all for following my journey this year. Personally, I am thrilled to be able to document my time and share a glimpse of it with all of you! Don’t forget, next Wednesday will be our October AMA session; you can learn more about it here.

Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria’s mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once.”
― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

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his last week has been full of outside work. We have been stockpiling firewood in preparation for winter.

The week started slow with some outside clean-up. I spent my Monday working in the back pulling out dead plants and taking down fences. I started by pulling out melons and eggplants. Then I turned my attention to sunflowers and tobacco plants, both taller than me. I tidied up the rest of the area by pulling the calendulas and weeds and then headed inside for dinner. The next day I worked in the hoop house while David got organized for the day. I cut two, five gallon buckets of squash for the baby goats before hopping the truck with David. We went down the drive way and worked on cutting downed trees for firewood. After a few solid hours of work, I took off to town for an evening at the job. Things we’re dismally slow.

Wednesday brought more wood cutting. Much like yesterday, David and I worked until lunch gathering downed trees. After lunch we headed over to Highlandville to help a friend of David’s dig potatoes. She was thrilled and cooked us dinner. We spent a great evening with her catching up and hearing about her life. The following day I worked on getting some meals ready for the rest of the week. I prepared a goat and vegetable soup and set it on the stove to simmer away. Meanwhile I worked on a tomato sauce and some miso and cabbage. I pulled my stuff off the stove for a little and went with David to pick up some chicken feed at a neighbors farm. After that, I got myself ready for the evening and went to town for a steady night of service.

Friday I started my morning with some more cooking by preparing a vegetable soup with the last of the peppers. While that cooked, I worked on cleaning up the kitchen and around the house. David and I ate an early lunch and then moved outside to work on splitting some of the wood we had gathered. I took off a few hours later for a very busy night. The day after I started my morning with some clean-up in the main garden. I pulled the last of the amaranth and then moved onto cutting down the Jerusalem artichoke. I continued to work in the garden finishing a few more projects before heading to a busy night of work.

David and I dedicated Sunday exclusively to firewood. I worked on stacking and hauling wood to various areas while David ran the splitter. We spent nearly our whole morning and afternoon cracking wood before heading to a neighbors farm to drop off our baby goats. Afterward, we got a quick tour of his property and then headed back to our farm to finish some more wood. Later, we enjoyed a warm fire as the evening dissolved.

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